Who has been to Belize?

[Scudd]

The wife and I are think of going next year. I've picked up a few books. It seems like most of the good coral reefs are in the North? Is this true ? any recommendations?

[sasscuba]

www.scubaboard.com

[vtminter]

I haven't been to belize, but I've been to honduras, which is south. And the reefs were amazing. I hear anywhere in belize is pretty good.

[icy1155]

Ive been to Northern Belize twice. I would reccomend Hol Chan Marine Reserve and shark ray alley. There are also some amazing snorkels on Mexico Rocks, Robles point, and there was an area north of Rocky Point that was the most amazing snorkel I have ever been on. It would have been a good dive as well. If you are looking for a place that you can stay that has awesome reefs I would reccomend Tranquility Bay resort... some of the best reefs that I saw the whole time there were about 50 meters off of their dock. Hope this helps a little...

[jallen100]

I snorkeled in Belieze in 2002 via an excursion on a Carnival cruise. I cant remember what the name of the spot was but it was a tiny little island in the middle of nowhere. The water was a bit cloudy but the reef was awesome. I do remember that I had to swim against the current pretty good to keep from being swept in to the reef.

[matona]

My wife and I will be there next month, so I'll let you know after that. We're staying on Ambergris Caye. Trying to get scuba cert before we go, seems like they have a ton of scuba trips, and few snorkel trips there... Really looking forward to it though.

[maoiwowie]

I was in Belize last summer and stayed on Ambergris Caye. You could find some nice dive spots 5 minutes from our resort with huge nurse sharks and rays, sponges, sea fans, and gorgonians. I hand caught several spiny lobsters and conchs (tasty!) right off our resort's dock. Although Hol Chan and Shark Ray alley is the most popular, the best diving i experienced was the Blue Hole dive trip. This is a day trip with 3 planned dives. The Blue Hole itself is quite breathtaking and creepy. Be careful, narcosis alert here. My dive partner swore he thought our guide beckoned him to plunge deeper past the recommended 150 feet. But its the second dive of the trip that is absolutely incredible. I believe its called lighthouse reef. You will not be disappointed.

[ryan115]

When I was in school we had a class trio to Belize. The reefs and walls off of Lighthouse Atoll were amazing. We stayed on Half Moon Caye and had a great time. If you get a chance to dive the Blue Hole, it is worth a dive to be able to say you have been there and get to see some of the sharks that hang out in the middle. Inland... the zoo is worth a visit, as are the Cockscomb Jaguar Preserve, and some of the other towns such as Placencia, San Miguel, Punta Gorda, and Clarissa Falls was also nice. Depending on where you are staying, most probably on Ambergris, alot of things may be out of reach. Great place though I cant wait to go back

[cplev]

I went on a liveaboard several years ago that brought you out to the atolls. AWESOME!!! I also spent a little time doing the jungle hiking and that was fun too.
One of the divemasters was talking about diving from the middle of the country (Placencia, I think) where there are tons of whale sharks and other large pelagics.

[bullitt2086]

i went to belize about a year ago man the reefs were amazingi dont remeber were we went though but i would definitaly recomend it BEAUTIFUL!

[J. Montgomery]

I just got back from Ambergris Caye, Belize. We went there for our honeymoon and had a great time.

Though one word of caution, Belize (especially the major tourist destination for the country, Ambergris Caye) is insanely expensive. Easily 5x the cost of doing the same thing in Mexico (which is only 20miles north of Ambergris).

No point in going if you're not diving.

[reefmaster30]

ryan where would you recommend staying to be in reach of all the good diving

[tim jenkins]

Anybody have advice on southern Belize? We are going to Placencia in 4 weeks. Unfortunately we miss the whale sharks by one day!

[RG Rude]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12209139#post12209139 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jallen100
I snorkeled in Belieze in 2002 via an excursion on a Carnival cruise. I cant remember what the name of the spot was but it was a tiny little island in the middle of nowhere. The water was a bit cloudy but the reef was awesome. I do remember that I had to swim against the current pretty good to keep from being swept in to the reef.

Would that be Swan Island or Island Del Cisne?

[lobstarock]

I've been to Belize 4 X and will be going again in Nov. I usually spend a week or so inland and then take a water taxi out to Caye Caulker for snorkeling on the reef. Check out belizeforum.com for a lot of good info. I can also recommend a good travel agent in Belize to help you plan your trip. Feel free to PM me Barb